Harry Potter and the Silver Dragon
by fiction over reality
Summary: AU. non-magical. Starts with an eleven-year-old Harry. There is an alternate world in which there are dragons instead of humans. A portal appears and Harry crosses to this world, in which Draco becomes his first friend and speaks to him telepathically.
1. Adventure of a Lifetime

for an eleven-year-old, a summer with no friends or adventure seemed to stretch into an eternity. Harry exhaled and wiped the sweat from his brow; he was working in the garden while his cousin and friends screamed with glee in the house. It was safe to assume that they would soon grow bored of whatever was amusing them at the moment and come to torture him for some fun.

He sighed and behind closed eyes could clearly see an alternate world in which he could spend the day in the park with no care in the world, climbing over the slides from the wrong side, swinging as high as he could, jumping in all the puddles, and feeling like he was the king ruling over his kingdom. In a moment, his mind was made up to do just that. The picture was too inviting.

It was a rare opportunity where his uncle wasn't home and his aunt was busy taking a long bath with specific instructions to not disturb her, and at the chance of being grounded later for his disappearance, he decided to head to the nearby park instead of sitting and anxiously awaiting his fate at the hands of Dudley and his gang.

He was sweaty and his hand-me-down clothes were covered in dirt, but no one was out on this hot summer day to goggle at a messy looking boy heading to the park on his own. Harry wouldn't have normally abandoned his daily chores to risk being seen in this state by the neighbours, not wishing to anger his relatives anymore than his existence seemed to already do, but there was this urge to visit the park that he gave into as it was inexplicable.

Sitting on the swing which felt hot under the unrelenting sun, he looked around his empty surroundings. It was a slightly disappointing kingdom at the moment, and his skin was already burning from the contact with the hot metal. He was adamant to make something of this adventure however; he wasn't about to get grounded without even managing to have some fun. He'd rely solely on his imagination, he told himself, as he tried to bear the heat of the metal underneath him.

He tilted his head to the side; there was a faint piano tune that must have been coming from one of the nearby houses. As he looked at them quizzically, it seemed to grow louder. It was a fast and powerful piece, and Harry felt enchanted. He jumped when it grew loud enough that it seemed it was coming from right behind him, and turned for inspection. He had to blink a few times to make sure what he was seeing was really there and not a trick of the light, or his imagination.

There was a lazy blue pool of vertical water a foot away from him. The material wasn't exactly like water, it was more dense and jelly-like, and it wasn't in any way transparent. Ripples were going through it every few seconds, from the center to the edges, and the entire thing was no bigger than Harry himself, who stood there with his mouth open.

He looked around again, but there was still no one else present to share his amazement. He raised a tentative hand towards the alien thing, the melody of the piano still surrounding him, and gasped as his hand passed through the material as if it was a doorway. Before he could rationally think about it, his curiosity overcame him and he stepped through to the unknown.

His heart was beating with the excitement of the sudden adventure that had appeared before him, and half convinced of it entirely being a dream, he stared at the trees that now surrounded him. The cool air that had replaced the heat felt refreshing, and he didn't hesitate to take a few steps forward in wonder. It felt like a different world. He'd never felt such a crisp air; he'd never seen such green trees.

He looked up as a strong wind blew past him; some sort of creature with large wings had passed over him. It was gone before Harry could have a good look, and he followed in suit, a strange suspicion swirling in his stomach. The trees around him gave sufficient way for him to move around comfortably, and the undergrowth wasn't too wild, so he could keep up a quick jog without worrying about tripping. Although he was jogging after the mysterious creature, he was still appreciating his surroundings while keeping an eye on the sky overhead.

Everything was a burst of colour, as if the clean air brought them into focus. There was a clarity that the sudden change of air was bringing him, and Harry was instantaneously sure that this could not be a dream. It felt as real as he had ever felt. He slowed in his tracks when he heard inhuman sounds coming from further ahead. For the first time, his excitement gave way to some worry. He looked back at the way he had come. Could he find his way back home? Had he gotten lost? What if these creatures that he was trying to find were dangerous predators?

Once again, his curiosity overcame him and he pushed away his fears, stepping forward to peek around the tree. He gasped at what he saw there, quickly clapping a hand over his mouth to stop it from being heard. He did indeed have a name for these creatures: Dragons. Another one flew over him and this time Harry looked up in time to see its huge size, sharp talons, pointed wings, and hard scales. It was a magnificent silver dragon, and with each flap of its wings, the trees underneath it swayed around in the wind that was created. As it disappeared from his view, Harry turned his attention back to the dragons that were on the other side of his tree.

They were also exclusively silver, but they were much smaller than the one that had flown overhead. Although they were still larger than Harry, they were evidently still children. They were wobbling around on their short feet, trying to bite each other playfully, or flapping their wings, trying to take off. Some of them had puffs of smoke coming out of their mouths; Harry supposed they were trying to breathe fire. At this revelation, he felt the fear truly grip him. This wasn't his world. He needed to get back, or he would surely get eaten alive.

Before he could step back, one of the dragons locked it's green eyes with his. Harry stumbled backwards, hoping that he'd been mistaken. However, a set of footsteps were coming in his direction with their thumping sounds. He froze in place, in complete panic mode, not knowing whether to turn his back on the dragon and run, climb a tree, or find something to use as a weapon. He was still rooted to the spot when the dragon peeked around the tree, his eyes filled with intelligence and curiosity.

'Hello,' a voice sounded in Harry's head, making him shiver with fear. 'Who are you?'

"H-Harry," he whispered, terrified to the bone. "Please don't eat me."

'Eat you?' The voice said in his head. 'Why would I eat you?'

Harry swallowed as the dragon tilted his head in confusion.

"I don't know," he whispered. "Don't dragons eat people?"

The dragon looked at him with amusement.

'I don't know of any such dragons,' the voice reassured him in his mind. 'We treasure Travellers. I have always heard of Travellers, but the last one came to our world before I was born, more than eleven years ago.'

"You're eleven?" Asked Harry in a hushed voice, unable to stop himself. "I'm eleven!"

'Really?' Asked the dragon, looking as excited as him. 'Maybe you came through to be my friend!'

"Wait, you mean other people have 'come through'?" Asked Harry, still keeping his voice down.

'Yeah,' the voice in his head replied. 'Travellers come through to our world occasionally. The tribe believes that they come because we need their help, so they are always treated with respect. Don't worry, no one's going to eat you.'

"I don't think anyone needs my help," said Harry, frowning, "Unless you need gardening or something, in which case I'm out of my depth; I only know how to deal with small plants and weeds, not anything like a whole jungle."

The dragon looked at him with amusement.

'We don't need any gardening,' the voice in his head informed him. 'I'm Draco, by the way. I'm so glad that I found you first, I doubt they would let us kids meet someone as important as a Traveller. Say, how did you get here anyway?'

"Through some sort of portal, I think," said Harry, not so worried about keeping his voice down anymore. "How are you speaking in my head? Can I reply the same way?"

'I don't know. This is how we communicate,' said Draco in his head, clearly more interested in asking his own questions than answering Harry's. 'Can you show me the portal?'

"Okay," said Harry reluctantly. Now that he knew he wasn't in a fatal situation, the concept of going back to his own world seemed so… dull. Not to mention what awaited him on the other side was Dudley's gang and a scolding coming from his aunt for abandoning his chores to wander off. "You won't make me go back, right?"

'Not if you don't want to go back,' said Draco's voice happily. 'Let's go. Do you remember which direction you came from?'

"Just a straight line in that direction, I think," said Harry, pointing behind him.

He watched in amusement as the dragon puffed its chest in importance and took the lead. He was still wary of the large size of the dragon, but it was hard to mistrust the innocent tone he'd heard in his head. The voice in his head did sound like any other eleven-year-old boy. Although in a dragon form, Draco, like him, was anxious to have a new friend and go on an important adventure.

"Won't your friends wonder where you went off to?" He asked, still a little worried at meeting any other dragons who might not turn out to be as nice as Draco.

'There's nothing to do on this island but go exploring,' Draco's voice said in his head. 'We wander off all the time. It's no big deal. We come back with exciting stories to share. Of course, mine are always true.'

"Of course," said Harry with a small smile. To think that there had been this parallel world here all along, with dragons instead of humans, made his head spin.

Once they had walked long enough that Harry was sure they should have passed where the portal was ages ago, he finally voiced his suspicions.

"Do you think the portal might have closed?" He asked, jogging to catch up with Draco who was still in the lead.

'I suppose that would make sense,' said Draco, stopping beside him. 'Otherwise Travellers would come through all the time.'

"Or dragons would come to our world," said Harry, looking down. Although he hadn't wanted to go back, it was the only home he'd ever known. He felt an incredible sense of loneliness go through him. "I'm staying here until it reappears."

'That's a good idea,' said Draco. 'We can camp here, and be on the portal watch. It will surely appear again, and then you can go back. Wait, I thought you didn't want to go back.'

"I didn't," said Harry, not wanting to admit to being scared and homesick already. "I don't. But let's do this portal watch. It sounds like fun. And it'll be a good story to tell your friends later. Come to think of it, how do the Travellers usually go back to their world? Are you saying that they stay in this world for the rest of their lives?"

'No, no,' said Draco's voice. 'I told you, I've never met a Traveller before. The last one came through eleven years ago, or maybe went back eleven years ago, I'm not too sure.'

"Well is there any way to find out?" Asked Harry impatiently. "As fun of an adventure this is, I'd like to know that I could go back to my own world some time."

'I could ask an elder about it,' said Draco doubtfully. 'They usually don't like being bothered by us, but it's our only chance. I'll help you set up camp here and go find someone to ask.'

"Okay. That sounds good," said Harry, nodding. "Sorry for troubling you."

'It's no problem,' said Draco's voice gleefully. 'I will have the most amazing adventure story to tell the others after this.'

Harry helped Draco gather tall branches and they haphazardly made a shelter for him by aligning them this way and that. It didn't look very safe or stable, but they did have fun building it. By the end of it, Harry's stomach was growling in hunger.

'Hungry?' Asked Draco, sounding tired but still excited. 'Wait here. I'll get you something right away.'

Harry gulped and sat down as Draco wobbled away. It felt like more than half an hour before Draco came back, and Harry was dozing off by then. The cool air, the shade provided by the shelter, and the exhaustion of his mental and physical state had united to put him in a relaxed and happy mood. He was woken by the strong scent of seafood and looked in shock as Draco came towards him with dead fish in his open mouth.

'I caught you some fish,' his voice informed him. 'There's a river not too far from here.'

"Thanks," said Harry uncertainly, looking at the saliva-covered fish. They didn't look too appetizing.

Draco dumped them on the grass some distance away from the shelter and told Harry to stay back. He opened his mouth, staring at the fish in concentration, and Harry watched in amazement as a stream of fire blew out of Draco's mouth. It wasn't controlled or timed right and the fish were scorched in a matter of seconds, the scent of burned meat filling the air. Draco looked at Harry with pride and satisfaction.

"I think you burned it," pointed out Harry.

'That's how we eat it,' said Draco, confused. 'Sorry. I'll go get more fish and try again.'

"No, that's alright," said Harry, feeling guilty. Here was this strange dragon, trying to help him build shelter and find food to eat, and he was being rude and ungrateful. "I'll eat it."

He moved towards the fish which were still giving off immense heat.

"When it cools down a little," he amended.

'Any luck with the portal?' Asked Draco, excited once more.

"Didn't see anything," said Harry. "But I'll be on diligent watch while you go ask someone about Travellers going back to their own world."

'Right,' said Draco, looking put out. 'I'll go do that, then.'

"Thanks," Harry called after him as Draco wobbled away.

Once again, he wondered if this was all a dream. It was too absurd to be reality, and yet, somehow it was.


	2. The Tribe

By that evening, Draco had yet to return, as did the portal. Feeling fidgety and impatient, but most importantly bored, Harry wandered around to explore this new place a little. He found the river that Draco had mentioned after some time; the clarity of it taking him by surprise. After contemplating his choices, he bent down and drank some of it to quench his thirst, finding the taste refreshing and pure. His eyes were getting used to how the colours popped here, his body was adjusting to how with each inhale of the clean air, he felt more awake than ever before.

It had been a long day, and in his imagination, his aunt grew more and more disgruntled at his prolonged absence. Another, and more likely possibility, was that by now they were celebrating his disappearance; feeling unburdened. He decided to put it out of his mind and focus on the present, immersing himself in this new world.

The scent of the flowers grew to a new intensity once night fell. New flowers were blooming around him with each passing second, engulfing him in their heavenly aroma. He went to sleep on the soft grass and leaves in the shelter that Draco and he had made, drifting away easily now that his fear of being grounded once back home was pushed out of his head. He dreamt of ice cream on a ferris wheel, which had nothing to do with his present situation. Nonetheless, the dream brought the tranquility and refreshment that he needed.

He woke up to the morning dew settling on his body, a slight shiver going through him from the chill that it brought. He immediately looked around for Draco, but there was no sign of the silver dragon. The portal was also pointedly absent. Now that he was looking at his surroundings in daylight, he was less than certain that the portal had even opened at this location. Taking a deep breath, he noticed that the flowers from last night had disappeared and instead the smell of fresh grass surrounded him. It didn't take long for his stomach to start grumbling; in fact, he had been mildly hungry ever since last night. He'd eaten the burnt fish, but they'd been too charred to leave him with much more than a bad aftertaste. Right now, he had more things to worry about than a magic portal that would take him back to a family which didn't even want him back.

He slowly got up and found his way back to the river, gulping down water, hoping to somewhat sedate his stomach. Despite the possibility of getting lost, his wandering curiosity took him farther than the river. His stomach still growling, his eyes darted around the bushes and trees to find anything that seemed at least mildly edible. Seeing a promising shade of red, his eyes sparkled, feet rushing towards a tree a few feet away. He climbed it eagerly but clumsily, and took an apple with a gasp, biting into it after a glance ascertained its nature. Sweet juice flowed down his chin and he closed his eyes in pure pleasure.

It tasted magnificent. Whether it was because of the intensity of his hunger, which would have made mud taste like chocolate, or because of how pure everything seemed to be here, he didn't care. Soon he'd made his way through five apples, and before long, he lost count. He had an ache in his belly afterwards, and groaned half from pain, half from pleasure, but at least he wasn't feeling so dizzy and weak anymore. His last proper meal had been dinner from two nights ago, as his breakfast the day before had been a slice of grapefruit (courtesy of Dudley's diet), and he had skipped his lunch in order to escape from Dudley's gang.

It was only after the remains of the last apple rolled down the tree that he heard the sounds of heavy footsteps. He froze with fear; Draco's footsteps had been much lighter. This was an adult dragon then, and Harry was still weary, regardless of what Draco had said about his tribe treasuring Travellers. He was a stranger in a strange world, alone in the jungle with an approaching dragon. He saw a flashback of how bright and hot the flames that streamed out of Draco's mouth had been, and couldn't help a shudder and gulp.

'Hello?' A surprised voice asked in his mind.

Harry clutched onto the tree branch that he was on, hoping that the leaves were hiding him from view. The footsteps came closer towards him, and he half considered running away.

'Anybody there?' The voice asked.

Harry mustered up the courage to reply, hoping against hope that Draco had been honest.

"Yes," he said, clearing his throat. "I-I'm up here."

An emerald green eye peeked through the leaves to look at him.

'A Traveller!' The amused voice said. 'My, my, are you lost, little one?'

"I may have wandered away, yes," said Harry, feeling somewhat braver after hearing the friendly tone.

'Well, get down here and let me have a look at you. How long have you been in our world?' The voice asked, stepping back in invitation.

Harry slowly climbed down the tree, his knees still being a little shaky. "I stepped through the portal yesterday afternoon," he admitted. From the dragon's voice he could tell that it was female, and there was an unmistakable motherly tone there as well.

'A full day already!' The dragon exclaimed, parting its lips in either surprise or amusement. 'Well, let's take you to the tribe then, shall we? What is your name, little one?'

"Harry," he said, looking up at the dragon who was roughly the size of his uncle's house.

'It's very nice to meet you, Harry. My name is Narcissa. Now I'm going to pick you up and take you to the tribe, alright? There you can meet all the elders and we will decide where you will reside for the duration of your stay.'

Harry looked up at the dragon, Narcissa, doubtfully. He had heard some worry in her voice.

"Have I done something wrong?" He asked, biting his lip.

'Not at all, I am just wondering why a Traveller has appeared now, after eleven years, and a child at that. It's nothing for you to worry about, dear, now let's go if you don't mind. We need to gather the elders and decide on a few things.'

"Okay," said Harry, taking a hesitant step forward. "Will Draco be there as well? He told me that he is going to find an elder to ask them when I can go back to my world."

'Draco?' Narcissa asked in surprise. 'You have met my Son? Well, I'm not sure if he will be there, but let's hope he shall. I have a few questions for him, myself.'

Harry swallowed, hoping that he hadn't landed his newest friend in any trouble. He then was instructed to relax his body as Narcissa lifted a hand over his head, her talons opening and closing to hold him firmly. He felt the wind swirl around them as she flapped her wings to take off, and watched the red rain as apples were shaken down from their trees from the force of her flight. She flew up in an angle, much like a plane, and the wind grew in its intensity while the temperature dropped. Harry felt his teeth chatter in the cold; this certainly was not his favourite form of transportation. The trees looked smaller the farther up they went, and the river came fully into view. It circled around the trees, and as Harry's eyes followed its trail to the horizon, an unsettling realization came to him. They were on an island, but the water was falling down from the edges, as if it was suspended in air. This island was… floating?

As his eyes widened in shock, he heard Narcissa's laughter in his head. He looked up to see her gleeful eyes on him.

'Welcome, little one, to the island of Soaring Slytherin.'

Harry felt a million questions run through his head. He couldn't do much but try to lessen the chattering of his teeth in the cold air, and it made him wish even more that he could communicate by speaking in Narcissa's head, much like the dragons did. He looked up anxiously as Narcissa started veering left and right, looking around in pursuit.

'Did you hear that faint echo?` Narcissa Asked, moving her head from left to right carefully.

Harry scanned the area as well, but couldn't see anyone else around. He tried to reply to her, but it was too cold to form words, and hard as he tried, he couldn't form the word 'No'.

'There, that echo, it was louder this time, did you hear it?` She asked, swooping down a little to take a better look at their surroundings.

Harry shook his head when he felt her eyes rest on him, giving up on trying to communicate with words.

'Must have been some dragon too far to be heard clearly,' she said, the slightest tone of anxiety in her voice.

Harry tried to shrug at her, but his body was held firmly in place with her sharp, silver talons. He craned his neck to look behind, they had travelled a considerable distance from the edge of the island. He wanted to ask Narcissa how much farther they had to go when he saw a clearing in an area ahead of them. It was besides a tall, brown mountain, and Harry could make out other silver shapes around the base of it. It only took them a few minutes to reach it, and with each passing second he felt more apprehensive. They were each bigger than the next, and as they got closer, he could make out the opening of a cave, near which stood the biggest silver dragon of all. They all had emerald green eyes, which followed him sharply, as Narcissa landed gracefully and let him down.

A few minutes passed without anyone saying anything, and he tried to keep himself from fidgeting. A few more minutes passed by before he noticed that there was a conversation going on, just that he was not a part of it. He could see some of the dragons move their head from Narcissa's direction to the biggest dragon, which presumably was their leader, and back, making him realize that Narcissa and the leader must be talking without letting him hear what they were saying. He frowned; this must have been why Draco was so wary of talking to elders, if this was how they treated their children as well. He looked up at the leader, with his frown still in place, and he heard a soft chuckle in his mind.

'A fierce little one, aren't you?` The smooth voice of the leader asked in his head, a male. 'Tell me, was the portal located on the other end of the island?'

Harry was about to reply when Narcissa put one of her hands in front of him, and apparently said something to the leader.

'Why, I see that you already have Narcissa on your side. Pardon me, I forgot that introductions are in order. I am the leader of the Silver Dragons, Voldemort. Welcome to our home, on top of the Soaring Slytherin, Traveller. Your name has come up, Harry, but why don't you introduce yourself and tell us where you came from? It has been over eleven years since a Traveller last stepped foot on our island.'

Harry went on to tell them the story of how he had stumbled onto their world, about how he had just been trying to avoid his cousin's gang of bullies, how he had met Draco, slept in the makeshift tent, and had been found by Narcissa. At first, his words had come slowly and shyly, but Narcissa had given him encouraging nods to keep him going. By the end of his story, his cheeks were flushed with excitement, and he was still picturing the floating island and how fun exploring it would be.

'From your story, I gather that you have no desire to go back home to that family?' Voldemort asked, lowering his head to look at Harry.

"No, sir," he said, wringing his hands. "I have had more fun in these two days than I pictured having all summer."

'Well, then it's settled,' said Voldemort, sounding pleased. 'You will stay with us for now, until the purpose of your visit becomes clear. I am sure that Narcissa will not mind taking care of you as one of her own, and you have already found a friend in Draco. Go along then, she will help you find him and settle in.'

Harry beamed up at them, feeling complete bliss. He pushed the thought of going back to the Dursley's to the back of his mind, accepting his new surroundings. Although at first the dragons looked fierce, they seemed much more preferable than the humans he had been in company with, and who wouldn't want to spend a summer in a magical forest, on top of a floating island, which housed dragons?


	3. The Story

'Jump! Jump!' The dragons around him chanted, their voices blending together in his mind, like a stream of coloured strands twisting around each other. Harry was standing at the edge of the precipice, the cool breeze lifting his hair this way and that. He leaned forward, looking over the edge, a surge of vertigo going through him. The clouds spread endlessly in front of and below him, as far as the eye could see. Now, staring at the open space on the edge of the island, there was no sense of up or down, left or right. There was only land and then not. Taking a leap of faith had sounded easier than it was turning out to be. Much as he tried, his feet were locked into place, and his heart was beating loudly in his ears from the rush of adrenaline.

His heart slowed a little as he was distracted by the unmistakable laughter of Draco in his head. He looked around to find the face of his new friend amongst the sea of teenaged dragons, with eyes shining like glittering emeralds. It was true that they were uniformly silver with green eyes, but they each had distinguishing features and sizes which helped him settle on Draco's form. He was more lean, his scales were just a little smoother than the rest, his snout was sharper, and his eyes shone a lighter shade of green, like Narcissa's.

'You have a crazy look in your eyes and your hair is all over the place,' Draco explained, sniggering.

In reply, Harry took a deep breath, opened his mouth as wide as he could into a smile, and steeling himself, took a backwards step into the empty space. A scream started to form at the back of his throat, before the tingling sensation of hanging in midair took his breath away. He had been terrified before taking that step, but as he hung weightless in the air, he felt the fear slip away and exhilaration take its place. Time slowed down as he closed his eyes to blink, and there was a sense of clarity, a sense of belonging, as he heard the excited hooray of the dragons in his head. As he started to open his eyes again, time returned to normal speed and took with it his moment of weightlessness. He felt the scream reform as gravity started pulling him down, face first, through the clouds below and into the unknown.

He couldn't have been free-falling for more than a minute before Draco caught up with him, but it had been long enough to send his teeth chattering. He gratefully let out a long breath as Draco caught him in his talons and started flying back up towards the island. He kept his eyes downcast, trying to make out any other islands, but all he could see were puffy white clouds. It made him think that the drop would last until the end of time; that if Draco hadn't caught him he would have kept on falling forever.

When they landed back on the island, the dragons cheering and calling Harry's name, he took his first step knowing that he was accepted as one of them. The right of passage for travellers, they had said, but from the playful shine in Narcissa's eyes as Draco and his friends had carried him away, he was sure that it had been a spontaneous decision to take him on a flying lesson. He stood there with a huge grin pasted on his face, feeling shy as everyone cheered him on. This was the first time that he was feeling truly accepted. It was the first time that the spotlight was on him, and for a good thing. These dragons who had just met him already liked him better than his own family did. It was a strange feeling.

'Come on guys, we have to get back,' Draco said to his friends, including Harry in the conversation and effectively pulling him out of his darker thoughts. He was glad for the consideration; the elders had been much less kind and much more mysterious. Apart from the size difference between them, there was also a trusting openness with which they addressed Harry that made him feel like he was not a stranger, even though everything about him was strange to these dragons who were too young to have ever met a traveller like him. He looked up as one of them approached him.

'Where will you be staying, Harry?`Pansy asked, looking him in the eyes. She was one of the only two female dragons with them, and Harry had yet to find a distinguishing feature between the males and females other than their voices in his head. However, he knew this was Pansy because she had a certain way of tilting her head to the side when talking to him, and she was the shortest in the group. She was also a little chubbier, but he was unsure if that was something to be looked down upon as much as it had been in his world. As he opened his mouth to reply, he was cut off by Draco who stepped in behind him.

'He'll be staying with me, of course,' Draco said, puffing out his chest proudly. 'I'm the one who found him, after all.'

Harry saw Pansy roll her eyes and smiled. The atmosphere was friendly, and even though they were larger than him many times over, he felt safe and included in their group. They were all excited to see a traveller, but it was more than that. They were good natured and even though they had made him jump off a cliff they had had a safety plan in place the whole time. He took a step back as Pansy got ready to lift herself off the ground and prepared himself for the resulting wind. It would no doubt mess up his hair again. He sighed, having by now given up on trying to tame it, yet still feeling annoyed by the strands falling in his eyes.

'Ready to go?' Draco asked from where we stood behind him.

"Why do we have to get back so soon?" Harry asked, puzzled. "It's still light out."

'You'll see,' Draco said mysteriously, as he wrapped his talon around him, gesturing to the others to follow Pansy.

He had realized by now that they all did as Draco said. It reminded him a little of Dudley's behaviour, the difference being that Draco didn't get his way by using force or whining. Instead, he had this sense of calm and control about him which automatically put him in the leader position and made the others want to do as he said instinctively. Draco had explained this to him as they went off to meet his friends, to reassure Harry that they would be nice to him because he'd order them to be. It made him smile again now. Even though Draco calling it 'ordering', there was clearly nothing so serious going on, just a group of friends who went adventuring together.

"Where exactly do you live?" Harry shouted up, trying to reach Draco before the lift-off.

'You'll see,' Draco said again, a smile brightening his tone, as he raised his wings, ending the chance for Harry to say anything else.

As they flew, Harry kept his gaze on the ground, trying to locate where the portal had been, but by now he was completely turned around and couldn't tell one end of the island from the other. When the clearing of elders, now empty, came into view, Draco's friends started going off one by one, calling out their goodbyes, each heading to his or her home. Draco kept flying straight, past the clearing, and Harry saw that although the clearing had seemed empty on first glance, near the entrance to the large cave, Voldemort still remained, his deep emerald eyes following them.

'Be well, little traveller,' Harry heard him say merrily in his head, and felt his body relax. How was it that a creature that large could be nicer to him and make him feel more at ease than his human-sized family?

'Here's our stop,' Draco said, aiming towards a cave that was quite high up on the mountain above the clearing.

Harry felt his teeth chatter once more; it was rather cold. But once they entered the cave, he felt the warmth return to his body. There was a fire in the middle of the small cave, and a hole above which let out the smoke. There wasn't much besides that in the cave; just piles of leaves that Harry imagined were their beds. The back of the cave was covered in shadow, so he wasn't sure how much further it went on for. He took a step forward towards the fire, Narcissa greeting them with a warm smile, lifting her head from where she lay.

'How was your adventure, little one?' She asked, her eyes carrying signs of her recent nap. She stood up to stretch, quite like a cat, and Harry couldn't help but smile.

"It was great," he said happily, and looking at the fire, added: "But also cold."

'Come closer to the fire,' Narcissa said, looking worried. 'We don't need it, but we always prepare one for travellers.'

Harry moved a few steps closer to the fire appreciatively. As Narcissa started to say something, his stomach grumbled loudly, echoing through the cave, making him blush scarlet. It made Draco jump, which made Narcissa chuckle loudly, which made him blush even harder.

'I suppose we haven't been the best hosts, have we?' Asked Narcissa, still sounding amused. 'There will be a feast tonight for your arrival, but I'm sure Draco can get you an appetizer beforehand.'

'But Mother,' Draco started, looking put off. 'I wanted to show Harry…'

'It can wait, dear. Let's not keep our guest hungry,' Narcissa said firmly.

'Alright,' Draco mumbled, grumpily moving towards the exit. 'But I want to be the one to tell him the Story!'

'Okay, I won't say a thing,' Narcissa reassured him.

"What story?" Harry asked, too late, as Draco had already left.

'The Story of our world,' Narcissa said mysteriously, and left it at that.

While they waited for Draco's return, she helped him gather some leaves in a corner that was a comfortable distance from the fire to make his own bed. To his surprise, the leaves were thick and fuzzy, making them quite soft and comfortable to lie on. He was surprised at how much he wanted to do just that.

'Go on, take a nap,' Narcissa urged him. 'It's been a long day. I will wake you up when Draco comes back with the food.'

Harry nodded, unable to reply, feeling the tiredness spread to the very tips of his fingers and toes. He lay down on the makeshift bed and went to sleep, Narcissa's watchful eyes on him.

Harry woke up to the soft crackling sounds of the fire. It took a while for him to place his surroundings, but he remembered where he was as soon as his eyes fell on the two dragons. It was easier for him to see around the cave from this side and he saw details that he had missed before. As the expanse made itself visible to him, he could see the ending curve of the cave a few hundred meters to the left of his sleeping spot and realized that the cave was much bigger than he had first thought. He sat up slowly, looking on with interest.

"What is that?" He asked, pointing up at the red scrawlings on the wall.

'Our Story,' Narcissa replied, turning to look at him.

'Mum!' Draco said unhappily. 'You can't tell him, you promised I could tell the Story!'

'Yes, and you will, but let him eat something first. Come Harry, Draco has caught you some fish.'

Harry got up doubtfully and headed towards the fire. He didn't want to seem rude but he was not eating the fish if it was burnt again. A smile lit up his face as he found out that they were quite unburnt and upon Narcissa's instructions put one on a stone next to the fire. His eyes followed the trail of the rising smoke above the fire to the opening in the high ceiling, where the sunlight that was shining through mixed in with the swirling spiral of smoke. The early evening sunlight shone bright and lifted shadows from around the cave, bringing his attention to how the dark rocks below him twisted and rose in some areas, resulting in platforms that would be challenging for him to climb but that the dragons would have no difficulty navigating. He felt a chill go through him; everything in this world was so much bigger than he was.

Draco shifted closer to him, sneaking a look at Narcissa frequently, and started talking as they waited for the fish to grill. It didn't take long for Harry to realize that Draco was keeping Narcissa out of this conversation, perhaps to avoid being scolded again on the subject of letting Harry eat before starting the Story.

'Those scrawlings that you saw, they were made by some travellers a very long time ago. It tells the story of our tribe, and our enemy.'

"Enemy?" Harry whispered in return, following Draco's soft tone.

'Draco!' Narcissa scowled, hearing Harry. Upon seeing Harry's eager and curious expression however, she sighed. 'Very well. Tell him the Story then.'

Draco grinned, and Harry could feel Narcissa's presence in their now shared conversation.

'Yes, enemy. For we are the Soaring Slytherin, and we are in an eternal battle with the Gallant Gryffindor!'

"Who are they?" Harry asked, gulping.

Draco replied, his voice deeper, 'For our silver, they are red, for our emerald, they are gold, and for our cunning, they are brave.'

"But why are you at war with them?" Harry asked, feeling shaken. He had not been expecting such a development. This world seemed so peaceful.

'Because!' Draco replied, annoyance in his voice, 'They are our opposite in all!'

Harry frowned. "Is that really the reason?"

'Of course!' Draco said confidently.

'In truth, no one remembers the feud that started it all,' Narcissa corrected him, looking into Harry's eyes. 'It was a casualty leading to a retribution, and on and on it went, as far back as we can remember.'

'But also the fact that they are evil!' Draco pushed on. 'Our leader, Voldemort, has tried many times to have a peaceful discussion with their leader, Dumbledore, but they never give us a chance!'

'Neither side is to be blamed, really,' Narcissa interrupted with a pained tone. 'There are always those who put revenge above the peace talks and break up the meetings, usually resulting in more casualties.'

'But they won't dare attack us now that we hold one of them prisoner!' Draco boasted.

"You do?" Asked Harry, feeling slightly nauseous. It seemed that even this world was not free from violent traits. What had he walked into? A scene of dragons breathing out flames in mid air flashed in front of his eyes, and he shivered despite the fire in front of him.

'Yes, we have…' Draco started.

'That's enough talk about war,' Narcissa cut in sharply. 'It will not do to frighten our guest this way. Why don't you continue with the Story, Draco?'

'Yes, Mother,' Draco said, put off, blowing air through his nose. 'The Island of the Gallant Gryffindor is located a half a day of journey away from here, to the North East. In the past, the wars between us have been few and far inbetween as we each have enough space to live apart happily. Ever since we can remember, the portal has opened at key moments during a particularly long-lasting war to help one side get the upper hand and put an end to the war before the strain kills out everyone on both sides.'

"Is that what I'm here for?" Harry asked uncertainly, fear raising the pitch of his voice more than he would have liked it to.

'No, my dear,' Narcissa said, shaking her head gently. 'You are but a child. The responsibility of such a task cannot be expected to lie on such small shoulders. It is true that no child has ever come through the portal before, and we are quite unsure as what role you are meant to play here, especially since there is no war going on right now. But no one expects you to participate in the war. We will keep you safe here, until the portal opens again for you.'

"But what about the prisoner?" Harry asked, confused. "Why is there one if there is no war?"

'It may not be full-out war yet,' Draco replied, 'But it is definitely heading that way. The fighting has gotten more frequent and although we have taken a prisoner to try and stop their advances, we have never been able to prevent a war between us. If you ask me, such tactics will never work. The only way to stop the war forever is to beat them down to the point that they can never get back up!'

'Draco!' Narcissa chided, 'That's enough. Let Harry eat in peace.'

Harry shivered once more, looking at the shine in Draco's eyes. From what he had heard, he couldn't believe that the portal had let him through by accident. He was here for a reason, and he knew that he wouldn't be allowed to leave until he had fulfilled his purpose.


End file.
